The Feng Shui of Virtual Worlds.(Editorial)

Designers should go with the flow when creating online environments

As conceived by the ancient Chinese civilization that developed Feng Shui--the art of arranging things to enhance the flow of energies and to minimize dissipation--everything in the universe consists of subtle patterns of moving, flowing energy. According to the tenets of Feng Shui, optimal flow for living organisms occurs when the atmosphere feels like a spring breeze--neither fast and vehement, nor sluggish and stagnant.

Just as flow is a subtle but significant factor in the physical world, so is it important to the design of virtual worlds. But in order to study flow in cyberspace, we must learn a new way of looking at both phenomena, similar to the way scientists after Newton revised their approach to studying physical phenomena. Pre-Newtonian physics, influenced by Aristotle, focused mainly on substances. Conversely, modern physics has turned its attention from substances toward fields of energy in which substances relate to one another. Theories of relationships have taken precedence over theories of substances.

As humans, we tend to look for objects rather than the processes supporting those objects. With regard to computing, for example, we focus on the user and the user's software tools. This subject (user) and object (tool) orientation downplays the role of flow because it creates a split between the two, focusing on the user/subject staring at the screen/ object rather than the relationship between the two.

Just as the paradigm of physical science had to shift so that new phenomena could come to the fore, the study of flow in virtual environments must likewise turn attention from the user-tool model and focus on the interactive context in which the user is immersed. From the viewpoint of the user, the successful environment flows smoothly around the uses to which the participant puts it. Instead of the subject-object relationship, the virtual environment creates a relationship in which participants swim through information as skilled athletes move through the liquid element of water. Through deepening involvement, the participant becomes less of a "user" or detached tool-wielder and increasingly adapts to the environment.

Online Worlds

This deeper dimension of flow became apparent during experiments conducted by the virtual worlds team at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, over the past few years. Using a variety of already existing multi-user worlds, including ActiveWorlds (www.activewords.com), CyberTown (www.cybertown.com), and Eduverse (www .activeworld.com/edu), the team began building and hosting online events.